By Jan Pease
It’s the season of buying last-minute gifts! If you could give your child or grandchild a
gift that would practically guarantee their success in school, what would be a
reasonable price to pay? $250.00?
$500.00? $10,000.00? The Litchfield Library is in partnership with a national
organization, Read Aloud 15 Minutes, which, according to their website, is “working
to make reading aloud every day for at least 15 minutes the new standard in
child care.”
What
if reading out loud was just a part of everyday activity? What if every family with children or
grandchildren made sure that reading aloud is as common as brushing teeth? Can you remember when the campaign to get
children to brush their teeth every day was part of life? I remember the 1958 commercial in which a
child says, “Look, Ma, no cavities!” In
my childhood everyone had fillings in their teeth, even in baby teeth. Now children routinely have perfect
checkups.
The Readaloud.org website also states that “ when every child
is read aloud to for 15 minutes every day from birth, more children will be
ready to learn when they enter kindergarten, more children will have the
literacy skills needed to succeed in school, and more children will be prepared
for a productive and meaningful life after school.” This is quoted from the
Readaloud.org website.
The goal is to engage
parents, grandparents, and caregivers in reading aloud 15 minutes a day with
children from birth. That seems to be
the magic number that helps children be ready to enter kindergarten. Their statistics show that 1 in 3 children
aren’t ready for kindergarten. I asked
local kindergarten teachers who reassured me that here, with a high percentage
of children in preschool programs, it’s about 1 in 4 or 1 in 5. I think we can do better.
Some libraries are part of the 1000 Books
before Kindergarten initiative. We are
very supportive of that program, but it might seem daunting for parents to keep
track of that 1000-book goal. It may be
difficult to be consistent in keeping track of that many books. But just like brushing teeth, anyone can make
sure that 15 minutes of reading aloud will happen.
If you need a little
help, we have parent handouts and reading charts available at the library, or
visit readaloud.org and download copies of their handouts and reading charts. It’s
free. It’s fun. It’s easy. Just add reading into your routine. Every day.
I agree with Read Aloud that this is the single most important thing a parent or
caregiver can do to improve a child’s readiness to read and learn. By making 15 minutes of daily reading
aloud the new parenting standard, we will change the face of education in this
country. Instead of worrying about the
perfect gift or party, please invest your time in your children and grandchildren.
